The present application relates to systems and methods for performing tissue retraction to facilitate a procedure, such as minimally invasive surgery, within in a patient.
Traditional surgical procedures for pathologies located within the body can cause significant trauma to the intervening tissues. These procedures often require a long incision, extensive muscle stripping, prolonged retraction of tissues, denervation and devascularization of tissue. Retraction of soft tissue using excessive pressure/tension and/or for extended periods of time can lead to tissue necrosis and/or extended postoperable recovery. That is, retraction using excessive pressure/tension for extended periods of time can lead to several weeks of post-operative recovery time due to the destruction of tissue during the surgical procedure. In some cases, these invasive procedures lead to permanent scarring and pain that can be more severe than the pain leading to the surgical intervention.
The development of percutaneous procedures has yielded a major improvement in reducing recovery time and post-operative pain because minimal dissection of tissue, such as muscle tissue, is required. For example, minimally invasive surgical techniques are desirable for spinal and neurosurgical applications because of the need for access to locations within the body and the danger of damage to vital intervening tissues. However, these minimally invasive surgical techniques may still result in damage to the tissue being retracted. Thus, while developments in minimally invasive surgery are steps in the right direction, there remains a need for further development in minimally invasive surgical instruments and methods.